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Lädt ... West Heart Killvon Dann McDorman
![]() Keine Keine aktuelle Diskussion zu diesem Buch. West Heart is an exclusive country enclave owned by a number of wealthy families. As they gatehr for a bicentennial celebration, issues come to the surface and the body count rises. Can the detective purportedly hired by one of the members solve the crime, or is this story about something different after all. This is a high concept book. McDorman wants to explore the whole genre of detective fiction and its rich heritage and he shows great learning and understanding. However the story is too disconnects from the concept and it becomes a little too clever for this reader. in fact I found it rather smug after a promising start. West Heart Kill is simultaneously an engrossing mystery and a dissection of the mystery genre. On one level, it’s a conventional variation on the “And Then There Were None” trope. Private Detective Adam McAnnis is on a case and finagles an invitation from a college friend to the 4th of July celebration at West Heart Kill, an exclusive lakeside hunting club in upstate New York. It’s seen better days but the descendants of the founding families continue to come to enjoy the lake and illicit hunting. As soon as McAnnis arrives, it’s obvious these are not happy families. One man kills another’s dog and some suspect it was deliberate, revenge for a tragic accident that happened a few years back. McAnnis is clearly more than a casual visitor, his observant questioning riles some guests and attracts others. A torrential storm hits the area, washing out the bridge and cutting off contact. A woman’s body is found by the lakeshore, but it’s unclear whether it’s suicide or murder. However, the next body to fall leaves no doubt. Nor is there any doubt about the next murder. West Heart Kill is one of the most fun, and direct, examples of metafiction I can think of. From the outset, we are part of the narrative as Dann McDorman treats us to the history, rules, and conventions of the mystery genre. He involves the Reader directly, demanding our participation in the solution. I want to run down the street with this book hollering “Read this book!” to everyone I meet. It’s simply brilliant. I loved it from start to finish, a finish that surprised me completely. I received a copy of West Heart Kill from the publisher through NetGalley. West Heart Kill at Knopf | Penguin Random House Dann McDorman on Twitter https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/11/west-heart-kill-by-dann-m... West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman will not be a lot of people’s type of book, but there will be a cult following that comes from it. I can see people who enjoy reading theater/movie scripts or history books enjoying this one. I had a very hard time getting into it, after trying numerous times. I enjoy quirky books (Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is a favorite!), but at times I found it very dry, just listing things, and the characters felt one dimensional to me. I feel like this would be the type of book you would find people who frequent coffee houses to read their poetry or gather to discuss the vast history of mystery writing, really finding fun to discuss. keine Rezensionen | Rezension hinzufügen
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"An irresistible murder mystery set at a genteel private club where everyone is a suspect, including the erratic detective on the scene-a remarkable debut that gleefully upends the rules of the genre and marks the arrival of a major new talent "The writer of murder, like all writers, must be a miser, conceding revelations bit by bit; for every novel is a puzzle, and every reader a sleuth." A remote, old-money hunting lodge. A raging storm. A locked room. Three corpses, discovered within four days. A cast of monied, scheming, unfaithful characters. When Detective Adam McAnnis joins an old college friend for the Bicentennial weekend at the exclusive West Heart club in upstate New York, he finds himself among a set of not-entirely-friendly strangers. Then the body of one of the members is found at the lake's edge; hours later, a major storm hits. By the time power is restored on Sunday, two more people will be dead. The elements of the classic murder mystery are all present in West Heart Kill, but it's the daring structure and mischievously subversive narration that set this debut apart. This is no ordinary whodunit. Both an homage to the masters of the genre, and a wholly original spin on the form, it's a sheer delight from start to finish"-- Keine Bibliotheksbeschreibungen gefunden. |
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![]() GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyKlassifikation der Library of Congress [LCC] (USA)BewertungDurchschnitt:![]()
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West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman is an interesting locked-room murder mystery that certainly keeps you guessing till the very end (and beyond). The novel pays homage to Golden Age murder mysteries with a few twists added to the mix, adding a touch of uniqueness. Shared from the perspective of the detective in the first part and an unknown narrator (we assume to be one of the guests) in the other also, the narrative is shared from multiple perspectives switching from the first-person to the third person, also featuring a metafictional element in the form of the author’s commentary, directly addressing the reader, interspersed throughout the narrative. Atmospheric and suspenseful with a healthy dose of wry humor thrown into the mix, the plot development was well executed, but I can’t say the same about the dénouement. While I can appreciate the author’s use of multiple formats to tell the story, the ending leaves much to the reader’s interpretation and imagination. I also had a few issues with the structure of this novel. I enjoyed reading the segments on classic mystery writers, the discussions on the format and tropes used in crafting stories in this genre and the author’s musings on the same. However, these segments interspersed throughout the primary narrative of this novel impacted the flow of the story, often distracting the reader. It is evident the author is a skillful storyteller who knows much about his craft and has not hesitated to demonstrate the same, but that does not necessarily translate into a particularly satisfying reading experience.
In short, while I did have fun following the mystery, I can’t say that I enjoyed this book in its entirety.
Many thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for the digital review copy via NetGalley and the gifted hardcover edition. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. (